In the meantime, officials are still waiting on insurance assessments from the tornado damage, which took place on Dec. 28.
The tornado was classified as an EF-2 and brought winds of 125 miles per hour to the Alvin area, which caused substantial damage to the school, which is located at 5000 Mustang Road, Alvin, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The overview
AISD officials are having weekly calls with its insurance company to assess the value of the building, Superintendent Carol Nelson said at the meeting.
Whatever funds the district does receive will be put back into the site, including possibly through demolition if the school is deemed as “a total loss,” she said. However, it has not been classified as that yet.
“If they deem it needs to be demolished or torn down, those dollars will help do that,” Nelson said at the meeting.
Nelson also noted the insurance outcome may speed up the process for the new combination school for Walt Disney Elementary and Steven Primary.
The combination school will be paid through the $380.1 million bond that passed in November, according to district documents. However, Nelson stopped short of saying the combination school would be built at the current spot for Disney Elementary due to the need for inspections and work on the site.
“There’s a lot of things that go in before you start constructing a school, so there’s processes that are in place, but know that we will be as transparent as open and share everything we can as we get more information,” Nelson said at the meeting.
The district is still uncertain of how long students will remain at the former Alvin Elementary school site, which is located at 1910 Rosharon Road, Alvin.
Taking a step back
Shortly after the tornado occurred, Nelson said she visited both Stevenson Primary and Walt Disney Elementary, as she was notified that both schools were hit by the tornado.
After observing that Stevenson Primary didn’t encounter any damage from the tornado, Nelson went back to Walt Disney Elementary to find parents and community members at the school.
“We were so fortunate and blessed that there were no students in the building,” Nelson said. “The debris from the school ... was blocking Mustang Road, so the Alvin volunteer fire department was out helping traffic, and everyone ... came to the school. It became a scene. There were emotions, because this was their school.”
Shortly after assessing the damage, the district deployed a restoration, remediation and disaster recovery plan.
The AISD Education Foundation, as well as Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole, began supply drives, as previously reported by Community Impact.
“Donations poured in across the state, out of state, former retired employees of ours donated,” Nelson said. “So many people came together, and we never imagined the donations we would get.”
As donations were happening, the district began cleaning and fixing minor construction issues at the former Alvin Elementary site. The students were able to enter the school on time after winter break.
The district also had to figure out new routes for Walt Disney Elementary students to attend their temporary school site.
Nelson said all students have a badge they scan when they get on and off the bus so parents and staff know if they’re on the right bus and route.
Stay tuned
Nelson said the district will continue to provide updates on insurance assessments to the board.
